IPL 7 to return to India on May 2

New Delhi, April 3: After hosting the first part in the United Arab Emirates, the seventh edition of IPL will return to India on May 2 with a high-profile clash between past winners Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Ranchi.

The UAE was awarded the hosting rights of the first 20 matches of IPL starting April 16 due to clash of dates with the general elections.

The organisers today released the fixture for the remainder of the 40 games, including the final with all the matches being held in India. Bangladesh was kept as a stand by to host the second leg in case the government declined permission to hold the matches.

While the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator will be held at Chennai’s M A Chidambaram Stadium on May 27 and May 28, the Qualifier 2 and the summit clash will be staged at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 30 and June 1.

Each franchise will play nine matches in India, with five of the eight teams playing at least four matches in their home stadium.

Chennai Super Kings will play two matches at Ranchi, while Kings XI Punjab will play two games at Cuttack.

Rajasthan Royals will play four matches at Ahmedabad. There will be no matches on May 1, May 16 and May 17.

“After discussions with the authorities in India, the BCCI is pleased to announce that a total of 36 regular season matches, plus the four playoffs of the Pepsi IPL 2014, will be played in India, starting Friday, 2 May 2014,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.